Learn how to correctly express sequences of actions
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Intro |
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| Hi, everybody! Olivia here. Welcome to Ask a Teacher, where I’ll answer some of your most common Cantonese questions. |
| The Question |
| The question for this lesson is: How can I correctly express sequences of actions? |
| Explanation |
| In Cantonese, there are multiple terms for "before" and "after." Each has a different nuance, so it's important to be able to distinguish which one to use for different scenarios. |
| First, let's see how to distinguish between 之後 (zi1 hau6), 然後 (jin4 hau6), and 以後 (ji5 hau6), which are all translated as "after" in English. |
| Keep in mind that 之後(zi1 hau6) specifies an action that takes place "after" a specific reference point, as in doing action B directly after action A. For that, whoever involved in the conversation needs to have the knowledge of what action A is, whether it is or is not included in the conversation. |
| Here is a sample sentence: |
| 食飯之後沖涼。 (sik6 faan6 zi1 hau6 cung1 loeng4. ) which means "Take a shower after the meal." |
| Similarly, 然後(jin4 hau6) emphasizes the sequence of actions, as in action A, and then action B. For example: |
| 食完飯，然後沖涼。 (sik6 jyun4 faan6, jin4 hau6 cung1 loeng4. ) which means "Finish the meal, then take a shower." |
| On the other hand, 以後 (ji5 hau6) refers to something that will take place for a significant length of time in the future, as in "from now on" in English. For example: |
| 我以後唔會遲到。(ngo5 ji5 hau6 m4 wui5 ci4 dou3.) “I will not be late from now on.” |
| Next, let’s see 之前 (zi1 cin4) versus 以前 (ji5 cin4), both translated as "before." |
| We use 之前(zi1 cin4) to specify an action that took place before a specific reference point, or before a certain thing happened. It has a nuance of something that happened only a little while earlier or a moment before. We also use it as "previously." For example: |
| 瞓覺之前要刷牙。 (fan6 gaau3 zi1 cin4 jiu3 cat3 ngaa4. ) which means "One must brush their teeth before sleeping." |
| As for 以前(ji5 cin4), we use it to talk about actions that took place regularly for a significant length of time in the past. It's similar to "used to" in English. In generally, we use 以前(ji5 cin4) for something that happened a long time ago (eg. at least a few years). |
| Here is a sample sentence: 我以前打欖球。 (ngo5 ji5 cin4 daa2 laam2 kau4. ) which means "I used to play American football." |
Outro |
| How was it? Pretty interesting right? |
| Do you have any more questions? Leave them in the comments below and I’ll try to answer them! |
| "See you next time!", 下次見! (haa6 ci3 gin3!) |
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